Well, perhaps because few of us are lawyers with extensive knowledge of intellectual property issues...but when has that ever stopped me?

I would guess that since the BF designs essentially take the TLC horse and dog designs and modify them that if TLC made their own, BF would have a hard time claiming copyright infringement. Even if they could theoretically assert such a claim I cannot see how they could pursue it with any hope of victory. TLC no doubt has a legal department that operates on a budget many times that of BF. Pursuing such a claim would be too costly and the outcome not certain.

As it is I'm happy to continue to buy BF's excellent products and give the mini-duplo cows to my small children.

The Brick Forge cows are the result of "filling in the gap" which Brick Forge excels at doing. They wouldn't seek any legal action for 2 reasons. One, they are fans of Lego first and foremost, and Two, they are there to enhance the creativity experience that Lego gives. I imagine the reason that the cows seem so different from the horses is because of a previously mentioned change in the designers. My personal belief though is that the designers are guilty of the same thing I suffer from. It's called the "Now what was I gonna do next?" syndrome. I just think the idea kept getting over looked. Luckily, Brick Forge was there to "fill in the gap"

Chief Smithy of Brick ForgeI buy LEGO, I play with LEGO, therefore LEGO are not for children, they are for me!